er women, all very talented, but all very
wayward, made Buloz' life (he was the director of the Comedie-Francaise,
as well as the editor of the _Revue des Deux Mondes_) a burden to him.
He who could, and often did, dictate his will to men who already then
were famous throughout Europe, frequently found himself powerless
against women, who, however celebrated, were, with the exception of
Rachel, nothing in comparison with the former. He was, it is true,
overbearing to a degree, and disagreeable besides, but his temper proved
of no avail with them; it only made matters worse. "Apres tout," he said
one day to Madame Allan, who was the most amenable of all, "je suis le
maitre ici." "Ca se peut, monsieur," was the answer, "mais nous sommes
les contres maitre."[23]

[Footnote 23: The play upon the word is scarcely translatable.
"Contre-maitre" in the singular means foreman; as it is used
here it means against the master.--EDITOR.]

In nearly all such troubles Regnier and Samson had to act as buffers
between the two contending parties; but, as Augustine Brohan explained
once, the two were utterly different in their mode of casting oil upon
the troubled waters. "Regnier," she said, "c'est le bon Dieu des
Chretiens, qui se fait tres souvent mener par le nez par des mots. Du
reste son nez s'y prete.[24] Samson c'est le Dieu juste, mais vengeur
des Juifs, qui veut bien pardonner, mais seulement apres soumission
complete et entiere. Samson ne vous promet pas le ciel, il vous offre
des compensations solides ici bas."

[Footnote 24: Regnier's nose was always a subject of jokes
among his fellow-actors. "It is not because it is large," said
Beauvallet, "but because it is his principal organ of
speech."--EDITOR.]

It would be difficult to paint the contrast between two characters in
fewer words. In 1845, when Mdlle. Sylvanie Plessy seceded from the
Comedie-Francaise, Regnier wrote a kind epistle, recommending her to
come and explain matters either personally or by letter. "Let your
letter be kind and affectionate, and be sure that things will right
themselves better than you expect."

Samson also wrote, but simply to say that if she did not come back _at
once_ all the terrors of the law would be invoked against her. Which was
done. The Comedie-Francaise instituted proceedings, claiming two hundred
thousand francs damages, and twenty thousand francs "a titre de
provisio